Friday, January 6, 2017

Whole 30: Harvest Grilled Chicken

HARVEST GRILLED CHICKEN

I purchased "The Whole 30 Cookbook" at Sam's Club just before Christmas. I tell myself I should not buy cookbooks since I find so many recipes on line and I seldom use my collection of cookbooks and magazines with recipes. This year, I am resolving to make lots of new recipes from the Whole 30 book and also a year's worth of issues of "Clean Eating Magazine" which I have been saving for years.

The other night I tried two new recipes from Whole 30 and they are both amazingly good. First let me share about Harvest Grilled Chicken.

Harvest Grilled Chicken is actually just part of a recipe. The recipe is actually for a salad called "Harvest Grilled Chicken Salad" but I just made the chicken. Basically, you create a mixture of dried herbs, sprinkle it over chicken breasts, and grill it. I used my stove top grill pan (I love it!), but of course you could grill this outdoors, use a grill such as a George Foreman grill, or cook it in a skillet.

Have you ever noticed how large chicken breasts are? I see many recipes that call for chicken breasts which are about five ounces each, but many times I purchase chicken breasts which weigh more than twice that. What I have been doing is cutting the chicken breasts in half (I think the proper term would be to say I am "butterflying" the chicken breast... cutting it in half so that it opens up like a book and I end up with two thinner chicken breasts. I hope that makes sense). I used just one huge breast for this recipe and it weighed close to one pound. Oh, another thing I like about cutting one large chicken breast into two thinner chicken breasts is that I find it easier to cook them through, as compared to thicker chicken breasts.

Here is the spice mixture for the Harvest Grilled Chicken recipe. I was surprised that this recipe actually had a bit of a spicy kick. That must be from the chili powder. Just sprinkle this spice blend on one pound of chicken breasts (on both sides of the chicken) and grill/cook as desired. The internal temperature you are looking for is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

I am sure sometime soon I'll make this chicken with the salad as described in the remainder of the recipe. It calls for Granny Smith apple, cucumber, dried cranberries, and a Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. That sounds right up my alley. Of course, I would be inclined to add feta or blue cheese to this salad but the Whole 30 cookbook recipes are all dairy free.

I made this chicken to go along with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze. I'll share that recipe with you next.